Simply Energy Virtual Power Plant (VPP)
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$7.7m Funded by ARENA
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$23.73m Total project cost
Summary
The Simply Energy Virtual Power Plant (VPP) project will deliver up to 1200 Tesla Powerwall 2 batteries to Adelaide households.
This represents 6 MW of residential energy storage, while a further 2 MW of demand response capacity will be deployed across 10 commercial businesses.
How the project works
The Simply Energy Virtual Power Plant (VPP) project will employ a centrally managed network of energy storage systems installed behind the meter that can be collectively controlled to deliver benefits to households and the local community.
Customers can expect better value from their renewable energy solution and the local network will have more distributed energy resources from which to draw from, which in turn improves reliability, particularly at times of peak demand and system instability.
Area of innovation
The project will develop the GreenSync decentralised energy exchange or “deX” platform to a commercial scale. The innovative deX platform will provide an energy marketplace that changes the way electricity is produced, used, stored and traded.
This project consists of:
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Report: Simply Energy VPPX Lessons Leant
This report presents lessons related to development of battery system subsidies in the market, and findings from customer surveys regarding preferences and uptake of battery offers.
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Report: Simply Energy VPPX ARENA Stage 2
This second Knowledge Sharing report covers outcomes from Stage 2, covering the period from February 2019 to February 2020 and highlighting the key achievements, challenges and lessons learnt.
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Media Release: Simply Energy to Build 8MW Virtual Power Plant in Adelaide
ARENA has today announced funding for Simply Energy to build a second virtual power plant across Adelaide.
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Report: Simply Energy VPPX ARENA Stage 1
This knowledge sharing report summarises key milestones and achievements, and shares the lessons learned in the initial stage of establishing VPPX.
Read the report
Benefit
Individual customers will benefit from reduced power costs as they are able to increase the amount of rooftop solar power they consume by storing the solar-generated energy and using it later when they would otherwise be consuming power from the grid. The energy storage systems are also able to provide backup power in the event of an outage.
While it is hard to be specific as everyone’s electricity consumption patterns are different, under this offer, an average customer with a 5kW solar PV system can expect to save about 40% per cent on the cost of a Tesla Powerwall 2 battery and about 20 per cent off their electricity bills.
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ARENAWIRE Blogs
What are virtual power plants and why do they matter?
Thousands of household solar and battery installations are being aggregated into virtual power plants to help stabilise the electricity grid.
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EDITORIAL: The Distributed Energy Revolution
If millions of Australian households and businesses continue to invest in their own solar and battery systems, this vast array of small scale energy assets known as Distributed Energy Resources (DER) could create enormous disruption to the electricity system.
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Revolutionising the grid: ARENA invests in Adelaide’s second virtual power plant
Extreme heatwaves put tremendous pressure on the electricity grid as demand for energy outstrips supply. As temperatures soared above 40 degrees in Adelaide in February 2017, a blackout caused by load shedding left 40,000 households without power for over half an hour.
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